Gregory S. Berns
Distinguished Professor of Neuroeconomics and
Director of the Center for Neuropolicy
and Facility for Education and Research in Neuroscience (FERN)
Professor in Psychology
Department, Emory University
Ph.D. University of California, Davis, 1990
M.D. University of California, San Diego, 1994
Research Interests
My current research uses fMRI to study canine cognitive function in awake, unrestrained dogs. The goals of these projects are to non-invasively map the perceptual and decision systems of the dog's brain and to predict likelihood of success in service dogs. I also use diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) to reconstruct the white matter pathways of a wide variety of other mammals, including dolphins, sea lions, coyotes, and the extinct Tasmanian tiger.
Previous research was aimed at understanding the neurobiological basis for individual preferences and how neurobiology places constraints on the decisions that people and animals make. We used fMRI to measure the activity in key parts of the brain involved in decision making. For example, we have used this activity to predict the commercial success of popular songs – the first prospective demonstration in neuromarketing. These results have found application in understanding common stock investing errors, and more recently, in the stock market’s reaction to earnings announcements. We have also studied decision-making over “sacred values” in the brain and its implications for terrorism.
Recent
Publications
- Berns GS, Blaine K, Prietula MJ, Pye BE: Short and long term effects of a novel on connectivity in the brain. Brain Connectivity 3:590-600, 2013. Link.
- Berns GS, Brooks AM, Spivak M: Scent of the familiar: an fMRI study of canine brain responses to familiar and unfamiliar human and dog odors. Behavioural Processes, 2014. Link.
- Barton J, Berns GS, Brooks AM: The neuroscience behind the stock market's reaction to corporate earnings news. The Accounting Review, 89:1945-1977, 2014.
- Pincus M, LaViers L, Prietula MJ, Berns G: The conforming brain and deontological resolve. PLoS ONE, 9(8):e106061, 2014. Link.
- Cook PF, Spivak M, Berns GS: One pair of hands is not like another: caudate BOLD response in dogs depends on signal source and canine temperament. PeerJ, 2:e596, 2014. PDF. Link.
- Berns GS, Cook PF, Foxley S, Jbabdi S, Miller KL, Marino L: Diffusion tensor imaging of dolphin brains reveals direct auditory pathway to temporal lobe. Proc. R. Soc. B, 282:20151203, 2015. Link.
- Berns GS, Brooks AM, Spivak M, Levy K: Functional MRI in awake dogs predicts suitability for assistance work. Sci Rep 7:43704, 2017. PDF. Link.
- Berns GS & Ashwell KWS: Reconstruction of the cortical maps of the Tasmanian tiger and comparison to the Tasmanian devil. PLoS ONE 12(1):e0168993, 2017. PDF. Link.
